Overhead railway



April 20, 194s. R. J. RENNI 2,439,986

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OVERHEAD RAILWAY Filed June 13, 1944l s sheets-sheet s I nventor WWWPatented Apr. 20, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE OVERHEAD RAILWAY ARobert John Rennie, Flushing, N. Y. Application June 1a, 1944, serialNo. 540,019

4 Claims. (Cl. 104--93) This invention relates to overhead railways ofthat type embodying a stationary monorail supporting structure and carssuspended therefrom.

More particularly, the present invention relates to overhead railways ofVthat type in which the monorail supporting structure includes a row oftowers, each carrying an upper cross arm, from the ends of which aresuspended a pair of monorails, and wherein monorail cars suspended'fromthe respective monorails are adapted to travel on the latter in oppositedirections.

An object of the present invention is to provide, in an overhead railwayof the above kind, an improved monorail supporting structure.

Another object of the present invention is to provide, in an overheadrailwayof the above kind, improved traction and driving means forsuspending the monorail cars from the respective monorails so as t-oeffectively guide the cars around curves without undue lateral swayingand without the use of additional guiding means between the towers andthe bottoms of the respective cars.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide improvedguiding and traction means -of the above kind that includes front andrear swivelled six-wheeled trucks for each monorail car, each truckincluding v forward horizontal guide wheels engaging opposite sidesofthe monorail above the bottom flanges of the latter, and front andrear suspension or traction wheels riding on the upper surfaces of saidbottom flanges of the monorail.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide suspensionand driving means for a monorail car wherein theswivelled trucks havelaterally swingable mounts for the front guiding and traction wheels andfor the rear traction and driving wheels thereof, and wherein `manuallyoperable means is positionable at the outer side of any desired one ofthe mounts for swinging it laterally outward to facilitate repair orchanging of tires and other repair work thereon.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent fromthe following description when considered in connection with theaccompanying drawings, and the invention consists in the novel form,combination Iand arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described,shown in the drawings and claims.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters indicatecorresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevational Iview of a rail supportingstructure and cars suspended therefrom in accordancewith the presentinvention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged transverse sectional view thereof takensubstantially on line 2--2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 isa fragmentary enlarged side elevational view of the car andadjacent parts of the supporting structure shown in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the construction shown in Figure 3.

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse section takensubstantially on line 5-5 of Figure 3, and illustrating one of the wheelmounts of the rear driving and supporting wheels of the rear truck ofthe car shifted to outwardly swung position for convenient repair orreplacement .of the tire of the associated wheel by means of a wheelmount swinging device installed and constructed in accordance with thepresent invention.

Figure 6 is a side elevational view of the Wheel mount swinging deviceper se, drawn on an enlarged scale.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the present railway includes a rowof towers 5, each carrying an upper cross arm 6, to the ends of whichare secured the adjacent portions of longitudinal flexible supportingelements 'I that extend between corresponding endsof the cross arms 6 indownwardly arched or curved shape as shown in Figure 1 from each towerto the next, and that may consist of Aa pair of cables 8 disposed sideby side and suitably secured at 9 to the undersides of the ends of thecross arms 6. Cables lll are looped over the supporting elements 8 atsuitable intervals along the length of the latter between the towers andattachedy to the elements 8 by welding or the like. The lower ends ofthe looped cables I0 are suitably anchored to lateral flanges or ears Ilprovided on the upper edges of monorails I2 that have bottom flanges I3.The monorails arethus eXibly suspended by the cables IIJ from thesupportingelements 8, and said cables IB may be suitably interbraced bycross brace elements I4 between adjacent ones of the same to restrainthe monorails against longitudinal movement. Lateral swaying of themonorails is prevented by means of rigid arms I5 projecting laterallyfrom the towers 5 and anchored to certain of the ears Il of themonorails. At opposite sides of the vertical webs or members of themonorails I2, the said vertical webs or members are provided with insertstrips I6 of hard wear-resisting metal on which horizontal guide wheelsof the car suspension means are adapted to ride, as will later bedescribed. Similar inserts Ia are provided in the upper surfaces of theflanges I3 of each monorail on which are adapted to ride the tractionand driving wheels of the car suspension and guiding means, as will alsobe made more clearly apparent.

As illustrated more clearly in Figure 2, a car A is adapted to travel onone of the monorails in one direction at one side of the row of towers,while another car A' is adapted to travel on the other monorail at theopposite side of the row of towers, thereby providing for two-waytraliic. Each car includes a body of elongated form suspended from theassociated monorail by means of front and rear swivelled trucks T andT', rei spectively, of generally similar form and construction. Each ofthe trucks includes a longitudinal member I'I having cross members I8 atthe opposite ends thereof and provided inter mediate the ends of thesame with a hub I9 that is rotatably mounted upon a spindle fixed toandv projecting upwardly from the top of the associated car. The hub I9turns on the spindle 20 to permit swivelling oi' the truck about avertical axis so that the trucks may turn for convenience in negotiatingcurves or turns in the monorail. Rigid with and projecting upwardly fromthe ends of thevcrossed members I8 of each truck are the lower sections2| of front and rear wheel mountsk that include laterally swinging uppersections 22 hinged at their lower ends to the lower sections 2| as at23. The swinging sections 22v have inwardly projecting shafts 24 on theinner end portions of which are mounted the vertical traction wheels 25,and the adjacent ends of the'mount sections 2| and 22 have alignedapertures as at 26 to receive removable pins by means of which thesections are releasably retained in aligned relation, with the`associated wheels engaging the inserts Illiav in the upper surfaces ofthe bottom flanges I3' ofthe monorail. By removing the pins at 26, theupper sections 22 of the wheel mounts may be swung laterally outwardlyto facilitate change of tires of the wheels 25 or repair of parts `ofthe mounts in an obvious manner.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the front wheel mounts of the trucks haveforwardly projecting arms 2'If on thefl'aterally swinging'upper sections22 thereof, and journaled on the forward ends of these arms 21 arehorizontal guiding wheels 2S that ride on the inserts I6 of the verticalWebs of the monorails. Also, the shaftsv 24 of the rear laterallyswinging wheel mount sections 22 of the rear truck T constitute thedrive shafts of electric motors 29 that are fixed on the associatedrnc-unt sections 22 and that may be suitably controlled from thedriver's seat in the forward end oi the associated car A or A. Thus, therear wheels 25 of the rear truck T' are utilized to drive the car foreiiecting travel thereof along the monorail, and any suitable: brakingmeans may be provided for bringing the car to a stop wherever desired.

Means is provided for facilitating lateral outward swinging of the uppersections 22 of the respective wheel mounts, and such means consist of asupporting post 33 having a winding drum SI journaled in the upperl endthereof and provided with an operating crank 32, a exible member orcable 33 being adapted to be wound on the drum 3| and provided at itsfree end with a hook 34 engageable in an aperture 35 of the sections 22'of the Wheel mounts. In order that the means for swingingv the uppersections of the wheel mounts 22 may be selectively utilized with respectto each swinging section 22 of said wheel mounts, the car A or A isprovided in the top with a socket as at 36, at the outer side of eachwheel mount, adapted to removably receive the lower end portion of thepost 30. The upper portion of the post 30 is inclined upwardly andoutwardly so as to position the drum 3| outwardly of the associatedmount section 22. Thus, when the mount swinging means is positionedoutwardly of any mount, the hook 34 may be engaged in the aperture 35 ofthe section 22 thereof, and

upon rotating the crank 32 in a proper direction,

the cable 33 may be wound on the drum 3| to Y swing the adjacent mountsection 22 outwardly to the position shown in Figure 5. When in thissection, the desired repairing or tire-changing Yjobs may be readilyaccomplished.

It will be apparent that the present invention contemplates theprovision of guiding and supporting wheels for the cars which areequipped with pneumatic tires so as to provide for shockfree travel,convenient and effective means being provided whereby the tires may beconveniently changed Vor repaired. When any Wheel mount is swungoutwardly, as shown 'inA Figure 5, the remaining wheel mounts will serveto effectively suspend the car while tire repairing or changing, and thelike, is being accomplished.

From the foregoing description, it is believed that the construction andoperation, as Well as the advantagesv of the present invention, will bereadily understood and appreciated by those skilled inthe art.

It will be apparent that I have provided a simpleand efficient means forcarrying out the stated objects of the invention.

e What I claim is:

l. In an overhead railway embodying a suspended monorail having avertical web and oppositely projecting bottom flanges, a car having anelongated body, vertical spindles fixed to the top of said body near thefront and rear ends thereof, a truck swivelled on each spindle, eachtruck having spaced independent front and rear pairs of upright wheelmounts, the wheel mounts oi each pair being arranged at opposite sidesof the monorail, each wheel mount including an upper section hinged toswing laterally toward and from the monorail, a wheel journaled on theupper section of each wheel mount and arranged to ride on the adjacentbottom flange of the monorail when said upper section is swung towardthe monorail to a vertical position and to be disengaged from saidmonorail when said upper section is swung away from the monorail to aninclined position, and'means to releasably secure the upper section ofeach wheel mount in a vertical position.

2. The construction dened in claim 1, in combination with arms rigidwith and projecting forwardly from the upper sections of the forwardpair of wheel mounts of each truck, and wheels carried by said arms andarranged to run on opposite sides ofl the monorail web when saidlastnamed upper sections are vertically disposed.

3. In an overhead railway embodying a suspended monorail having avertical web and oppositely projecting bottom flanges, a car having anelongated body, vertical spindles xed to the top of said body near thefront and rear ends thereof, a truck swivelled on each spindle, eachtruck having front and rear pairsV of upright wheel mounts, the wheelmounts of each pair being arranged at opposite sides of the monorail,each wheel mount including an upper secvthe monorail, a wheel journaledon the upper section of each wheel mount and arranged to engage theadjacent bottom flange of the monorail when said upper section is swungtoward the monorail to a vertical position and to be disengaged fromsaid monorail when said upper section is swung away from the monorail toan inclined position, and means to releasably secure the upper sectionof each wheel mount in a vertical position, said car body having socketsin the top thereof, one adjacent and outwardly of each wheel mount tofacilitate mounting adjacent each wheel mount of a device for swingingthe upper section thereof outwardly to the inclined position.

4. The construction defined in claim 1, in combination with means toselectively swing the upper section of any desired wheel mount outwardlyto the inclined position.

ROBERT J'OHN RENNIE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file otthis patent:

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